Eden Project Report Highlights £6.8bn Economic Impact

Eden Project Reveals £6.8bn Impact on Cornwall’s Economy

The Eden Project has revealed it has generated a total economic impact of £6.8 billion for the South West since opening, including £5.7 billion in net additional economic impact for Cornwall.

The figures come from a newly released Impact Report published on St Piran’s Day, ahead of the attraction’s 25th birthday on 17th March 2026.

Located on the site of a former clay mine with no soil or plants, the Eden Project has become one of Cornwall’s most recognisable destinations since opening in 2001. The charity has welcomed more than 25 million visitors over the past quarter century to its Rainforest and Mediterranean Biomes.

Millions of Visitors and Billions in Spending

According to the report, around 80% of Eden’s visitors have travelled from outside Cornwall. Their visits have generated £8.4 billion in total visitor spending.

The attraction has also supported employment across the region. On average, 700 jobs have been supported each year. Around 430 of those roles are within the Eden team itself, with 91% of employees living in Cornwall. A further 260 jobs have been supported in the wider economy.

The report also highlights £630 million spent on operating expenditure, helping strengthen supply chains and support economic activity beyond the Eden site. Less than 2% of that spending went outside the UK.

The Eden Project was co founded by Sir Tim Smit and architect Jonathan Ball as an educational charity. Its mission has focused on reconnecting people with nature through education, regeneration and storytelling.

The Impact Report was delivered to Westminster by Sir Tim Smit and Eden Project CEO Andy Jasper, alongside Noah Law, Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay.

Andy Jasper said:

“A quarter of a century since opening with a bold mission and hope for the future, Eden has helped reshape Cornwall’s economy, drawing millions of visitors, supporting hundreds of jobs and creating opportunities that simply did not exist twenty five years ago.

“There could be no better moment than St Piran’s Day, a symbol of Cornwall’s identity, resilience and creativity, to celebrate Eden’s journey.

“The Impact Report is proof of the difference Eden makes on our doorstep in Cornwall and in far reaching corners of the globe, and demonstrates that investing in nature, culture and education is not a luxury it is a blueprint for economic growth.”

National Lottery Funding Helped Bring Eden to Life

The Millennium Commission played a major role in creating the Eden Project, providing £56 million in National Lottery funding.

Baroness Floella Benjamin, who served on the Millennium Commission, reflected on that decision.

Floella Benjamin said:

“I was privileged to be a committee member of the Millennium Commission as we funded national projects that would last the test of time. One of those was the Eden Project, as the visionary Tim Smit convinced us of the value it would preserve for future generations. He was right as 25 years later the Eden Project has turned out to be one of the most successful projects we funded.

“Its lasting legacy keeps on proving that it was National Lottery player’s money well spent as it has continued to inspire, educate and involve those globally who want to make a difference, protect our fractured world and change it for the better.”

Education, Community and Climate Work

Beyond tourism and jobs, the report outlines Eden’s work across education, community connection and climate innovation.

More than one million people have engaged with the Eden schools programme, including over 750,000 children and young people who have visited the site on school and college trips. Eden now delivers nearly 40 curriculum linked workshops from preschool to postgraduate level, alongside an online learning programme reaching tens of thousands across the country.

The Eden Project Nursery and Sky Primary provide nature based education focused on sustainability and global citizenship. In partnership with universities, around 200 undergraduate and postgraduate students are supported through sustainability focused degrees.

Since 2009, The Big Lunch, launched by the Eden Project to encourage communities to come together over food, has inspired more than 1.5 million events connecting around 120 million people.

Eden is also home to the UK’s first new operational deep geothermal power plant since 1986. A five kilometre deep well now heats the Biomes and on site buildings, cutting gas use to almost zero and saving up to 500 tonnes of CO₂ each year.

Nature Connections programmes have also helped more than 1,000 people each year strengthen their relationship with nature through activities including therapeutic horticulture, walking groups and workshops.

The ‘Eden Effect’ Around the World

The report also highlights the global reach of what it describes as the “Eden Effect”.

In Costa Rica, Eden is helping restore a dry tropical rainforest biological corridor to expand habitats for wildlife while supporting local communities.

There are also Eden Project sites in Expo City, Dubai and Qingdao, China. Further developments include Eden Project Morecambe, which is currently in development, and Eden Project Scotland, which is in the design stage.

Reflecting on the origins of the attraction, Sir Tim Smit said:

“Every child in the world dreams of building giant dams, fantastical castles and underground kingdoms. We humans are imaginative apes. Eden is a simple idea. In the crater of a long dead volcano we found Arthur Conan Doyle’s Lost World. In our case, a fantastic confection of plants, theatre and science fiction design. Our thought was that by Kissing the Great Frog of darkness, it would turn into an Eden princess and we’d live happily ever after.

“This act of passion by so many people has attracted more than 25 million visitors so far and inspired Eden offspring in various parts of the world.

“Eden is not the starry eyed creation of visionaries. On the contrary, a group of ordinary people dared to dream yet organised to deliver to show everyone that we are not naïve, but realistic it is revolutionary. Demonstrating that education is not passive it is catalytic and that when you dream at scale, communities, economies and ecosystems can rise together.

“As we celebrate our 25th birthday, drink a toast with us to the defeat of the doom mongers and dream stealers. Because the future remains ours to make.”

Andy Jasper added:

“We are proud of what has been achieved and excited about what is next.

“We recognise and value our local community as much as we value the visitors that come to Cornwall those that have visited since day one to those who join our legendary Eden Sessions or come to skate. The best is yet to be enjoyed visit, be inspired and connect with nature.”

More information about celebrations for the Eden Project’s 25th birthday can be found on the Eden Project website. and you can view the Eden Project Impact Report here.

📷Bodelva Pit

📷Geothermal drill

📷Olympic flame 2012 - Credit Tom Griffiths

📷Eden Project Impact Report ©Jack Hall

📷Horticulture students Eden Project Cornwall

📷Eden Project Mediterranean biome tulips

📷Eden Project Impact Report ©Jack Hall

📷Eden Project Impact Report ©Jack Hall

📷Malaysian House

📷Eden Project Rainforest biome - Wobbly bridge - Credit: Steve Tanner

📷The Eden Project, Cornwall

📷The Scaffolding Tower

📷The Seed being lowered into The Core

📷Eden Project Impact Report ©Jack Hall PA Media

📷Family at the Eden Project

📷Eden Project 2015 ©Hufton Crow

📷Eden Project Impact Report ©Jack HallPA Media

📷Credit: Tamsyn_Williams

📷The Rainforest Biome Under Construction

📷The Seed in Seed Chamber

📷Eden Projct - James Street

📷Family on the wobbly bridge - Eden Project

📷The Seed being lowered into The Core

📷The seed being lowered into the Core building

📷Aerial family rainforest steps Eden Project